Actions and Consequences
by LaelaRose
Summary: Prince Cador is visiting Camelot to sign a treaty of peace. However, his arrival in Camelot proves to be the worst possible outcome for Merlin, who discovers quickly how badly this Prince treats his servants. He clashes with the arrogant Prince. But consequences for clashing with nobles are serious. Will Merlin be punished for his 'insolence? Will Arthur stick up for him? No slash
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.**

Merlin stared, wide eyed at Arthur, his brain still processing what had been repeated to him twice already.

"I beg your pardon, Arthur."

The King rolled his eyes and clipped Merlin's head with the back of his hand.

"Ow!"

"I said you are dismissed from your duties for this evening."

Merlin rubbed his head and grinned, "Very funny…"

Arthur huffed and gestured for Merlin to help him out of his plate and chainmail. "Yes Merlin, as unlikely as it may seem, I have decided…Merlin what _are _you doing?"

Merlin dumped Arthur's gauntlets on the table and began unbuckling the breast plate, glancing theatrically out of the window again.

"Just checking for flying pigs, my Lord."

This earned him another sharp blow to the head.

"I'm serious Merlin," Arthur said, raising his arms and allowing Merlin to remove his chain vest. "Your usual, though frankly appallingservices are not what I require from you this evening. You will help the other servants prepare for the arrival of Prince Cador of East Anglia tomorrow morning."

Merlin's smile faded, "Prince Cador? I thought the King himself was to sign the treaty."

Arthur sighed heavily, "No Merlin," he said patronisingly. "You'd know that if you'd been paying attention yesterday afternoon when I told you the King had fallen ill and that his son was decidedly old enough now to represent his father at such a ceremony."

Merlin snorted and folded his arms across his chest. "Oh sorry, I forgot that little conversation, it's just that I was a bit busy being _shot at_ that particular afternoon."

Arthur grinned widely and he stepped behind the dressing screen.

"It was hardly _my_ fault Merlin; from a distance you've got the every appearance of a wild animal. Not to mention the smell…

Merlin's retort was muffled by Arthur's shirt which sailed over the dressing screen and landed on his head. He draped a new shirt over the screen and went to retrieve the armour.

"What's this…Prince Cador like?" he asked absently.

There was a faint cough from behind the screen and nothing else.

"Arthur?"

The King reappeared and to Merlin's astonishment, he saw the looked slightly flushed.

"I've only met him once, a few years ago."

Merlin frowned, "I don't remember him ever coming to Camelot."

Arthur looked distinctly unhappy with the turn their conversation had taken. "Yes, well it was quite a few years ago, before you came to Camelot."

"What happened?"

Arthur gave Merlin a withering look. "Well if you really want to know…we fought each other in the annual tournament."

Merlin turned to face Arthur incredulously, "And?" he asked eagerly.

Arthur glowered at his manservant, "I lost."

"Ha!"

"Merlin!"

"_What_?"

Arthur smiled a painfully fake smile. "The thing is Merlin, most of my knights aren't aware of that particular…incident. And I'd quite like it stay like that."

Merlin beamed, "Of course, Sire. Your secret is safe with me."

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Hmm, well you'll be busy enough when the Prince and his men arrive that I doubt you'll have much time to talk to anyone."

"Oh I can't wait," Merlin left the room and headed for the armoury, carrying the armour rather precariously. To his surprise, Arthur followed him.

"I should warn you, Merlin," Arthur said from behind him. "Prince Cador has been known to behave rather…impatiently towards his servants."

Merlin smiled, "I'm used to dealing with impatient, pompous royals."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I'm serious." He jogged to Merlin's side. "In fact," he whispered, "Cador's past three menservants have all died of unknown causes."

"Of course Arthur," Merlin said, trying to imitate Arthur's patronising tone. "Now, haven't you got anything better to do, like running a kingdom perhaps?"

"All I'm saying, is that not all nobles are as good to their servants as _other _people are-"

Merlin snorted so loudly that the two knights walking ahead of them turned and stared in alarm.

"Oh please!" he exclaimed, "I can deal with just one more arrogant prince. I've had so much practise already."

He swiftly dodged Arthur's fist and sprinted down the rest of the corridor before disappearing into the armoury. Arthur laughed before turning on his heel and heading for the main hall so he could oversee the preparations that had already begun.

Merlin may have been relieved of his normal duties that evening, but he had by knows means any easier an ordeal. The whole city seemed to be preparing for the Prince's visit with a rarely seen vigour. Merlin didn't really understand what all the fuss was about. Camelot had its fair share of royal guests in the past, but never had preparations such as these been made. According to Arthur, a treaty between the kingdoms of Camelot, East Angelia and Mercia really was something to celebrate. They were the three most powerful kingdoms in Albion. And to have them all, united in peace was certainly something worth dressing up the kingdom for. The treaty was to be signed by Camelot and East Angelia the following day. And later that week, a party consisting of knights of Camelot and East Angelia, would take the treaty to Mercia, where Lord Baynard would add his seal.

However, by the end of the evening, Merlin couldn't help but feel slightly resentful of 'The Treaty of Haedwch Canol' (which in the language of the ancient kings meant 'The Treaty of Midland Peace'.) His list of duties included, preparing the best guest chambers for the Prince, preparing clean bed clothes for the Prince and his knights, polishing the silver wear for the banquet and (in Arthur's words) checking with the kitchens that there was a dish and a drink for any request that their guests could think of. By the time he had finished, it was past midnight and before he knew it, Gaius was shaking him awake.

"Merlin…Merlin, wake up! You're going to be late. Arthur wants all the knights and personal servants of the King and Queen present when the Prince arrives."

Merlin groan turned into a yell as Gaius wrenched open his curtains and sunlight poured into the little bedroom. Forcing himself out of bed, he practically slept walked into the smartest, cleanest clothes he could find. And by the time he'd made his way down stairs, he'd woken up properly.

Gaius was bustling around the room fixing their breakfast. Merlin noticed he too had made an effort for Prince's arrival, and was wearing clothes normally strictly reserved for ceremonies and weddings. When his guardian glanced up at him, Merlin twirled on the spot.

"How do I look?" he asked, grinning.

"Divine," Gaius replied gravely. "Now sit down and eat your breakfast."

Merlin shovelled his breakfast down in double time and was making his way out before Gaius had even sat down.

"See you later!" he called over his shoulder.

As he made his way out into the small courtyard, he glanced around him. There wasn't a single knight to be seen. He cursed under his breath, they must have assembled already. Sure enough, when he burst through the main palace doors that led to the larger courtyard, he nearly ran straight into Gwaine, who was assembled on the steps with the other knights.

"Watch it," he hissed, before his face split into a grin. "Oh Merlin, it's you. You better get into position; Arthur's getting cranky."

Merlin didn't really see what he could do. Hurriedly, he dragged his fingers through his hair and smoothed out his shirt.

Gwaine laughed, "Yeah, that'll do it."

Merlin bit back his retort that Gwaine had hardly done a better job as someone near the front hissed, "Be quiet!"

Then came the clattering of many hooves on the cobbled ground and a small party of about seven riders entered the courtyard. They were clad in chain mail and green capes with a coat of arms (a unicorn standing on its rear legs) sewn on each man's right sleeve. Then, in one swift movement, each man dismounted his horse and gave a small bow to the Camelot party, who returned the action immediately. Then the one of the riders, the one who had ridden at the front, stepped forward and removed his helmet. The rider was certainly not the tallest of his party. In fact, he may have been the shortest. However, he was stocky and powerfully built. And his face was not boyish, but strong and slightly brutal looking, and framed by fairly long, light brown hair. He also appeared to have a long scar that started by his left ear and extended down towards his very prominent chin.

"Nice chin," Merlin murmured. In front of him, Gwaine made an odd sound, somewhere between a snort and a splutter as he tried to stifle his laughter.

"Prince Cador," Arthur stepped forward with Guinevere at his side. "We welcome you and your knights to Camelot." The two nobles grasped hands in a gesture that wasn't quite a hand shake.

Prince Cador's eyes swept over the vast palace and his lip curled into a slight sneer.

"I can see Camelot has changed little since your father's time," he said rather haughtily.

Arthur gave a small smile. "It certainly looks the same. But we have achieved much in three years."

Prince Cador's response was an unpleasantly high pitched laugh. "We shall see."

Arthur looked a little affronted, but quickly composed himself and gestured for the prince to follow them.

"Come," he said. "I'll show you to your chambers and have my servant bring up your belongings."

"Thank you, sire," the prince bowed his head. "That is very kind."

Guinevere stepped forward, smiling. "And we've organised a feast for this evening, in your honour."

Merlin carefully scrutinized what the Prince did next, and he didn't like what he saw. Having responded positively to Arthur's comment, the Prince fixed the Queen with a cold stare. There was an uncomfortable moment of silence in which Guinevere's cheeks turned slightly pink. Arthur coughed and the Prince turned to him expectantly.

"If you'd like to follow me," Arthur said lightly.

He led the Prince into the palace, but Guinevere stayed behind. Merlin noticed with concern that the colour had left her cheeks and instead she had visibly paled. The King and the Prince swept by Merlin and the Prince hung back for a moment.

"You, boy!" he barked, looking at the manservant like he was something slimy he'd found on the bottom of his shoe. "Follow us and bring my processions to my chambers."

Merlin nodded briefly and immediately crossed the courtyard to retrieve Prince Cador's belongings.

"Well this is certainly going to be interesting," he murmured to himself.

**Hi guys! If you liked the first chapter, please review. I'll try and update again as soon as I can. Oh and BTW, I wrote this before tonight's episode; so Guinevere isn't being controlled by Morgana :)**

**What did you think of the episode tonight? I thought it was amazing! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.**

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The next morning found Merlin standing outside in the light, drizzling rain with a pounding headache and feeling completely miserable. The feast had passed without much interest. All it had done was reinforce Merlin's beliefs about Prince Cador, who it quickly transpired was rude, arrogant and egotistical. Merlin had watched, disgusted as the Prince ate and drank at an incredible rate, while slyly insulting almost everyone he was introduced to. Even though he was young, and almost every knight of Camelot was a more experienced fighter, he boasted loudly and unashamedly about his 'fight with the lord of something-or-other' and his duel with 'Sir Someone of god-knows-where'. But what infuriated Merlin more than anything, was his barely concealed dislike of the Queen. Every time Guinevere had attempted to engage him in conversation, she was met with a cold, blank stare. It amazed Merlin that Arthur managed to keep his temper in check for the whole evening. Though, on more than one occasion Merlin saw a muscle jump in his jaw in response to something Cador had said. Guinevere had retired from the feast early, and Merlin made a mental note to go and see how she was at some point during the day. Though that wouldn't be easy. Merlin valued Guinevere's friendship greatly, and knew that Guinevere felt the same. Though the time he could spend with her was limited now that she was Queen. Once the Prince and his knights had finally retired to their chambers, the feast broke up and people began to leave in twos and threes. Before Merlin had left, Arthur had informed him that the Prince would be joining the knights of Camelot in a training session the following morning. Merlin had frowned, thinking that Arthur had looked a bit too grimly-satisfied about being given the opportunity to run at Cador with a sword.

"Merlin!" Merlin was jerked roughly from his thoughts by Gwaine, who was striding across the field towards him. "Lovely day for it," he said cheerfully, holding his palms up towards the sky and feeling the rain.

Merlin made an indifferent noise at the back of his throat and passed Gwaine a sword and shield.

"What's wrong with you?" Gwaine asked.

Without saying a word, Merlin jerked his chin towards the Prince who was talking to Sir Leon a few metres away from the training field.

"Ah," Gwaine nodded, understandingly. "Tell me about it; what an arse."

Merlin looked up at the knight in disbelief. "You can't say things like that! Do you want to give him an excuse not to sign the treaty?"

Gwaine shrugged half heartedly, "If the people of East Anglia are anything like their Prince, I'm not sure I want to be at peace with them. I mean, did you see the way he was treating the Queen?!"

"I know," Merlin said darkly. "The sooner the thing is signed, the better. I'm not sure Arthur's temper will last much longer."

"Speak of the devil," Gwaine muttered. Merlin turned and saw Arthur marching towards them.

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked.

"What? Yes, yes of course," Arthur snapped, drawing his sword. "Come," he said to Gwaine, "Let's get started. Merlin, I want you with the shield."

Merlin groaned; trust Arthur to give the most gruelling training task he could think of today.

Arthur turned, "Problem?" he asked.

"Yes, there is as a matter of fact," Merlin replied without even thinking. "You expect me to stand here for two hours while you take out your anger at Cador on me?"

Arthur made to respond, but before he could, a loud, sneering voice cut across him.

"I don't know what you're saying _boy._ But it sounds far to bold for _my _liking."

Merlin gritted his teeth and turned, "Yes sire. Sorry sire."

Cador looked at him scathingly and Merlin had to fight not to respond with the filthiest look he could muster.

"Well," he drawled, turning away from Merlin as if bored with the whole thing. "Let us hope the knights of Camelot perform better than their servants do." He drew his sword with an entirely unnecessary flourish and placed the tip lightly under Merlin's chin. Gwaine and Arthur took an involuntary step forward. Merlin flinched but stood his ground, lowering his eyes from the Prince's and bowing his head slightly like a servant should.

"That's better," laughed the Prince, abruptly turning his attention to Arthur. "Shall we get started then, Arthur?"

Arthur smile was painfully fake, "Of course!" he said, "Knights!"

And Arthur's word, the knights, Prince Cador and Arthur gathered in the middle of the field.

"Today," Arthur said, "We're going to focus on landing your blow successfully, when your opponent has the shield and you don't." Arthur allowed himself a brief grin. "And for this, we're going to need Merlin to act as the 'deadly opponent' with the shield."

Gwaine, Leon, Percival and Mordred shot Merlin looks of amusement. Merlin grimaced; typical Arthur, he thought to himself; making him suffer because he's annoyed at someone else.

"So!" Arthur clapped his hands together. "Who wants to go first? Remember for this exercise, we don't want anything illegitimate. So as tempted as you may be to punch Merlin in the face, please only attack with the sword."

To Merlin's intense relief, Percival raised his hand and drew his sword. Despite his appearance (which certainly suggested otherwise) Percival, of all the knights was more likely to go easy on him.

The other knights, Arthur and Cador stepped back while Merlin, grimacing hugely, picked up the heavy shield and braced himself for Percival's attack. He supposed, in some respects he should be grateful that he wouldn't need a sword for this exercise. It meant that he could concentrate more on making sure no one landed their blow, instead of waving his sword around pointlessly trying to land his own.

Percival flexed his sword hand and shot Merlin another mingled look of sympathy and amusement. Then he attacked. It wasn't so bad. Percival certainly didn't use his full strength when he was practising with servants. Each blow hit the shield with a force that sent vibrations up Merlin's arm, but for a good minute or so, he managed to block each attack as it came. Finally, Percival upped his game a little and managed get his sword pass the shield and touch Merlin's shoulder lightly. Percival grinned as the other knights applauded him politely and Merlin let the shield fall to the ground, breathing heavily.

"Well done Percival," said Arthur, whose mood seemed to have improved a great deal now that Merlin was being attacked. "Remember that in a _real _context, your opponent will probably remember to move his feet," here Arthur rolled his eyes at Merlin. "So you'll have to compensate around that."

Percival nodded, and sipped some water from the cup Gwaine had offered him.

"Right, who else wants a go?" Arthur said, grinning at Merlin who had been scowling deeply through the whole exchange between Arthur and Percival.

Cador squared his shoulders, "Who am I to turn down an excuse to beat up a servant?" he said loudly, to the immense amusement of his own knights who laughed raucously.

Merlin glanced at Arthur and for a moment, thought he saw a trace of reluctance on his face. But then he gestured for Cador to step forward.

"Be my guest," he said neutrally, stepping back.

Merlin huffed and picked up the shield, making sure neither Arthur nor Cador could see his face. Something about the prospect of having Cador practise with him actually frightened him. He had a particularly evil glint in his eye as he swung his sword around unnecessarily.

Merlin tightened his hold on the shield; he doubted the Prince would cease his attack if he dropped it-

Wham! Merlin gasped as the first blow came without warning. He stumbled backwards, his entire arm throbbing in protest. Cador grinned and advanced on him, striking the shield relentlessly again and again and again. It was almost as if he wasn't trying to get past the shield at all, just strike it until Merlin weakened and it fell from his grip. Well, thought Merlin fiercely, that wasn't going to happen. He began to circle the Prince, raising the shield and defending himself as blow after blow shook him. After a while, Cador's look of glee hardened and he became rather red in the face. Merlin actually laughed a little and to his delight, this seemed to infuriate the Prince even further. However, he soon regretted this action as with a snarl, the Prince did something that no other knight present would have done. Ignoring Arthur's instructions completely, he kicked the bottom of Merlin's shield with all this strength. Merlin yelled as the shield traps twisted painfully around his wrist and he fell flat on his back, the shield clattering to the floor. Cador's knights cheered loudly and the Prince stabbed his sword into the ground, his red face shining with sweat.

Merlin lay staring at the sky, completely winded and his wrist burning. Cador, apparently satisfied now with his work, threw his arm over the shoulders of one of his knights and together the group left the training field, discussing the 'fight' in loud, arrogant voices. Arthur stabbed his own sword into grass and stared after them, his dislike of Cador threatening to overspill. Deciding it wasn't worth the trouble; he turned and saw Leon helping Merlin to his feet.

"Are you alright?" the knight asked, seriously.

Merlin dusted himself off with his good hand, wincing as he flexed the fingers of the bad one.

"Of course I am," he grimly. Then he muttered something that Arthur didn't hear, but that made Gwaine laugh.

"What was that?" Arthur inquired, in mock annoyance.

To his surprise, Merlin ignored him completely. Leon took Merlin's wrist and examined it; a faint purple-blue bruise was forming there.

"You should go and see Gaius," Leon announced. "It looks like it may be sprained."

Merlin nodded and without even glancing at Arthur, left the training field in the opposite direction to the Prince. Arthur stared after him before raising his eye brows at Gwaine who just shrugged.

"What's his problem?"

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**Bit of a filler chapter, I know but I hoped you liked it :D I was so pleased with the response to the first chapter! Please keep your lovely reviews coming! xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.**

* * *

Although his hand was throbbing unpleasantly, Merlin didn't go to see Gaius. As it happened, he had a couple of coins in his pocket and decided to make good use of them by going to the market and buying something to eat. With them, he bought a steaming hot game pie from Thomas; an ex guard who had lost his hand in a skirmish a few years ago, and had managed to find a living selling pies made from the left over kitchen meat. It was tough and grisly inside but seemed to warm him up, to the very tips of his toes. He sighed and flexed the fingers of his injured hand; the swelling and cold weather was making them stiff and he winced. Thanking and paying Thomas, he crossed his arms over his chest to protect his hands from the cold air and hurried back to Gaius' chambers.

His guardian sighed when he saw the injury and Merlin didn't hold back when it came to telling him how he'd received it.

"The man is such an arse!" he exclaimed, grimacing as Gaius poked each of his fingers in turn, trying to assess the damage. "I mean, you'd think he'd show a bit more respect to the Queen and the knights, let alone the serv- ouch!"

Gaius straightened up, his face grim. "One broken, the rest are just bruised."

Merlin scowled, "Oh brilliant," he muttered, "Just what I need."

Gaius pursed his lips and went to retrieve a bandage. "Merlin, you'd do well to be less vocal about your dislike of the Prince. However arrogant he may be, his cooperation with the treaty is essential."

"I know, I know," Merlin said wearily.

Gaius frowned and began to bind the damaged fingers together tightly, ignoring the winces this action produced.

"Just try and stay out of his way," Gaius advised. "If you don't see him, what harm can he do?"

Merlin snorted, "If only; Arthur's got me at his beck and call. Like it wasn't bad enough being his servant –"

"Like it wasn't bad enough being whose servant?" a voice behind them asked mildly.

Guinevere had entered Gaius' chambers and was smiling only slightly ruefully at Merlin.

Merlin couldn't help but grin back. "Nothing, my lady," he said, eyes sparkling with humour.

Guinevere frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "How many times must I tell you? It's Gwen or Guinevere."

"At least once more," Merlin smiled, "As always." His smile faded slightly. "Arthur doesn't like it…"

Guinevere's frown deepened, "Well Arthur will just have to deal with it. If my best friend can't even call me by my own name…" Her voice faltered and she trailed off.

Merlin stared at her; it was most unlike Gwen to speak ill of her husband to anyone. She had always defended him fiercely and lovingly.

She returned his gaze and gestured to the door with one hand. "Walk with me?" she suggested.

Merlin nodded, experimentally moving his fingers before he stood. They did hurt less now that they were bound.

He thanked Gaius.

"It's nothing," Gaius said dismissively, turning back to the work Merlin had interrupted. "And Merlin!" he called his ward back before he was through the door. "Remember what I said."

Merlin tried, with immense difficulty not to roll his eyes. Instead he nodded and walked with Gwen.

"Are you alright?" he asked the Queen seriously.

Gwen didn't answer immediately; instead she picked intently at a loose thread on her sleeve.

"Yes," she responded finally. "I suppose part of me what expecting this." She sighed and gave up on the thread, staring ahead of her wistfully as they walked in no particular direction. She looked up and saw that Merlin was shaking his head.

"What?"

Merlin couldn't help but glance around him before he answered. "Arthur chose you to be his wife. You. And if Cador can't accept that…" he shook his head again.

Guinevere smiled at the frustrated look on Merlin's face and squeezed his arm gently.

"Thank you, Merlin," she said earnestly. "You don't know how much your support means to me."

Merlin grinned and Gwen gestured to his hand.

"How're the fingers doing?"

He held them up and showed her. "Not bad," he said. "At least this'll give me an excuse not to practise with the knights for a while. And if Cador wants his sword sharpening from now on, I'll tell him where he can stick it-"

Guinevere laughed and slapped Merlin's arm lightly. "Shh," she giggled, "You never know where he might- oh!"

They had turned a corner and almost walked straight into Arthur himself who was walking in the opposite direction. The King looked at the pair of them, bemused. His eyes rested briefly on Guinevere's hand resting on his manservant's arm.

"Guinevere," he said warmly. "I was just looking for you."

"Oh!" Gwen said, slightly flustered. "Well I didn't have any duties to perform this morning so I thought I'd go and find Merlin and…go for a walk," she finished, slightly breathless.

Arthur smiled, "Well by all means, if you want to finish your walk-"

"No, no," she hastened to say. "Um, was there a particular reason you were looking for me?"

"I was thinking that the two of us could have a late breakfast together."

Guinevere's face lit up. "Yes! That would be lovely. But haven't you got guests to entertain?"

Arthur dismissed this with a wave of his hand. "Oh, I'm sure the Prince can entertain himself for a few hours."

Merlin resisted the urge to mumble, 'Of course he will, and probably at the expense of some unfortunate servant…'

His thoughts must have been reflected on his face because Arthur raised his eyebrows at him.

"Problem Merlin?"

"Nope, none at all sire."

"Good," Arthur said, "Because there's a huge pile of laundry waiting for you in my chambers."

"Arthur!" Gwen admonished him, "He's been injured."

"He doesn't mind, do you Merlin?"

Merlin gave Arthur his most fake smile. "Of course not Arthur…"

"There you go then," Arthur said brightly, clapping Merlin on the arm. "Come on Guinevere."

"Bye Merlin," the Queen murmured as she left with her husband.

Merlin sighed and continued on his way, bracing himself for Arthur's dirty laundry. However, someway further down the corridor, he heard the all too familiar, loud, arrogant voice of the Prince, and quickly turned and took a different route.

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**Obviously I wrote this where Guinevere isn't under Morgana's influence. My main motive for this scene was that even before Gwen turned evil, I don't think there's ever enough Gwen/Merlin friendship in the show. **

**For those wondering, there should be some action in the next chapter :D**

**A huge thank you to everyone who review, sorry I didn't reply this time, I'll try harder this time :)**

**LaelaRose xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin :)**

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Night had long since fallen by the time Merlin left the palace that night. Although his hand still ached and he was tired beyond belief, he felt grimly satisfied with how the rest of the day had gone. He had managed to completely avoid the Prince. Not only that, but the signing of the treaty had been brought forward to the following evening. And as soon as it was done, the Prince and his men would be taking their leave from Camelot. Apparently Cador had been easier to satisfy than was expected of him. Indeed, it had been him who had suggested moving the signing date forward in the first place.

The town was eerily silent and Merlin was sure this meant he was technically breaking curfew. But being Arthur's servant did actually have its perks; generally it meant people didn't question where he was going, even at such a late hour. Instead assuming he was running an errand for the King.

As he passed the Rising Sun Tavern, the silence was suddenly interrupted as the door swung open and three men stepped out, laughing rowdily. Merlin squinted through the darkness and his heart sank. It was the Prince, accompanied by two of his biggest, ugliest cronies. Merlin ducked his head and quickened his pace. But sure enough….

"Hey, you!"

He played deaf, thrusting his hands into his pockets and continuing on his way. But suddenly there was a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, I was talking to you-!"

Merlin turned sharply and found himself face to face with Prince Cador. The Prince's expression of irritation quickly morphed into one of delight.

"Well, well," he said taking a step forward so Merlin could smell the nauseating scent of stale mead on his breath. "If it isn't Arthur's little lackey? Martin wasn't it...?"

"_Merlin_, sire," the servant said through gritted teeth. "If you don't mind…" He began to turn away, determined to avoid any provocation from the Prince. He could feel magic bubbling under his skin, desperate to escape and serve Cador justice. He thought longing of how easy it would be to send Cador back to East Anglia in humiliation; perhaps with his hair completely gone…or with the voice of a girl…

Cador's hand once again prevented him from leaving. He was forced to turn around again.

"_Merlin_," he sneered unpleasantly. "I've been trying to find you all day actually… after our little run in this morning…"

Merlin kept his face impassive, but this only seemed to irritate Cador more.

"Speak! You idiot boy-!" His fist swung up to make contact with Merlin's face. The warlock's instincts kicked in immediately. His hand met Cador's before it reached his face and he forced it down again. Cador's two comrades drew their swords from their sheaths.

"Leave me alone!" he whispered.

Cador's eyes widened and he motioned from his men to lower their weapons. He turned his red face back to Merlin.

"Do you have any idea who you're dealing with _boy_?" he spat, wrenching his hand from Merlin's grip.

Merlin stared back at him, not trusting himself to speak.

"_ANSWER ME YOU_-!" The Prince gasped and staggered backwards, clutching his face in disbelief. Dazed, Merlin stared down at his clenched fist, unable to comprehend what he'd done. He dimly heard a yell from behind the Prince and without even considering another option, took off running in the opposite direction.

He ran until his lungs felt as if they could take in no more air. Gasping for breath, he realised he had run into the normally busy market place. He ducked under a counter and sat. He exhaled sharply and stared at his hands, _both_ of which were now bruised. He groaned and banged his head against the table leg he was leaning against, then glanced around him. There was nobody in sight. Perhaps the Prince hadn't come after him; perhaps he'd instead gone straight to Arthur to demand his execution. He wouldn't have put it passed any noble to make such a demand after what he had done, let alone Cador. He groaned again and ran his hands through his hair. How could he have been so stupid?! He had encountered many nobles like Cador during his time in Camelot. Suddenly he wrenched his hands from his hair and raised them toward his face.

"Gehælan!" he whispered, his eyes glinting gold briefly as the healing spell took effect.

He looked behind him sharply, certain he'd heard a voice. Sure enough, a group of Camelot guards were marching towards his hiding place, led by…

"He came this way, I'm sure of it!" the prince was saying furiously.

One of the guards mumbled something that Merlin struggled to make out.

"I don't care whose servant he is!" Cador snarled, "He assaulted me! Just find him!"

There was a general murmur of assent from the guards who immediately split up and began searching the market place. Merlin closed his eyes in a silent prayer as he heard one come closer and closer to his hiding place. He began to shake silently. The guard's footsteps were right behind him…

"Guards!" a shout came from a few metres to the right of Merlin. His eyes snapped open.

"I think I saw something!" the voice said again, "Over there!"

The footsteps near Merlin began to retreat and he exhaled in deep relief. Crouching on his knees, and peered out into the market place and watched the last of the guards disappear. He stood straight and looked around him, desperately wondering what to do next.

"There!"

Merlin cursed, within seconds he was surrounded by guards of Camelot and knights of East Anglia, all of whom had their weapons trained directly on him.

Cador pushed his way through the barrier they created. The side of his face that Merlin's fist had made contact with was swelling up, and he sported a small cut on his lip. But Merlin had never seen him look more delighted. Before he could defend himself, the Prince grabbed a handful of his hair and forced his head downward towards the mud. Merlin cried out but Cador's hold on him was too strong.

"Do you really think that was wise, boy?" he whispered softly, menacingly. "I'm going to make sure justice is served. By the time I've finished with you, you'll be lucky if you can still walk."

Then to Merlin's surprise as much as anyone else's, the Prince released him and took a step back.

"What are you going to do?" Merlin asked, his eyes watering from Cador's hold on his hair.

Slowly and deliberately, the Prince unsheathed his sword.

"Oh," he hissed, "I thought I'd make it interesting this time; a fair fight between the two of us. After all," he laughed unpleasantly, "You didn't have a chance to fight back this morning, did you?" Cador's knights jeered loudly. The guards of Camelot however, familiar with Merlin, glanced at each other uneasily. "Give this man a sword!" Cador barked at no one in particular.

One of Cador's knights thrust a weapon at Merlin, who took it without hesitation. He examined it briefly; it was a crudely constructed, almost blunt in fact. Cador's sword glinted wicked and sharp in the dim light the moon provided.

Merlin looked at him with loathing and the Prince's grin widened.

"Are you ready, _boy_?"

Merlin squared his shoulders; a sudden rush of adrenaline and excited had seized him. He refused to quail under the Prince's ugly stare. He raised his pitiful weapon." Are you?" he spat.

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**A huge thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed the last update. And also, a huge apology for the ridiculously long wait; A levels really do suck :( **

**Please keep your lovely reviews coming! **

**LaelaRose xxx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I can't even begin to apologise for how long the wait has been. I think the 'Merlin' finale may have upset me so much that writing fanfiction just didn't seem worth it. But I was really excited about my initial ideas for this story, so I'm having another stab at it. **

**I hope you can forgive me! Because it's been so long, I'll write a short summary of the story so far.**

_Prince Cador of East Anglia is visiting Camelot to sign a peace treaty between the two kingdoms on behalf of his father, the King. The Prince manages to get disliked by everyone; Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, Gwaine, etc. Merlin tries his best to avoid Cador. When Merlin is leaving the palace one night, he runs into Cador leaving the tavern. Cador tries to provoke Merlin, who tries to walk away. Cador provokes him further and Merlin ends up hitting him. He runs away but is then confronted by Cador who forces him to face him in combat, giving him a blunt sword._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin :)**

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Arthur yawned hugely and shuffled the treaty terms he'd been poring over. He glanced over at the bed where Guinevere had fallen into a deep slumber, her hair fanned out across the pillows. She slept with a frown upon her beautiful face.

Abandoning the papers with a sigh, he blew out the candle and crawled onto the bed beside Guinevere. Gently he lifted a lock of hair that had fallen across her face, smiling as the motion caused her to stir and the frown to disappear from her face.

Slowly, trying not to wake his Queen, he kicked off his boots and took off his belt and shirt, dropping them on the floor for Merlin to deal with in the morning. Having successfully done all this without disturbing his sleeping wife, he pulled up the bed covers and embraced the immediate feeling of relaxation that came with putting his head on the pillow…

BANG!

Arthur woke with a lurch and sat up immediately. He must have fallen asleep, but for how long, he had no idea. He gazed around him, blind in the darkness, looking for the source of the noise he wasn't even sure had been real.

BANG! BANG! "Your majesty!"

What the hell was going on? Was Morgana attempted yet another attack on Camelot?

CRASH! Arthur threw an arm across the face as the door was thrown open. He blinked rapidly against the sudden light that flooded into the room. Guinevere sat up beside him.

"What's happening?" she whispered, clutching at his arm.

"Your majesties," the intruder said breathlessly, "Forgive me!"

Instantly Arthur's fear intensified; he recognised the man as Sir Darias, one of Prince Cador's knights. He grabbed his shirt from the floor and pulled it hastily over his head.

"What's happened, Sir Darias?"

"My Lord Cador, Sire," the knight struggled to catch his breath. "Assaulted by-"

Arthur cursed. He sat back on the bed and pulled on his boots. As much as he hated Prince Cador, it was vital that no harm came to him in Camelot. They could not afford to become enemies with the kingdom of East Anglia.

"Where?"

"The market, my Lord. But-"

The knight hurried to keep up with Arthur who was already marching down the corridor. Once they were crossing the main courtyard, Arthur glanced up at the sky; the moon had become a large pale orb in the sky, which was beginning to become a lighter blue. Sunrise couldn't be more than a couple of hours away.

"What was the Prince doing out of his chambers at this time?" he asked the knight, now jogging to keep up with his strides.

The knight didn't respond. He looked rather uncomfortable.

"Sir Darias?"

"My Lord was visiting a tavern last night," he said, seeming rather hesitant to continue. Arthur prompted him with a look that Guinevere teasingly referred to as his, 'Kingly stare.'

"I believe he only just left your majesty."

Arthur raised his eyebrows at that. "Which tavern?"

Arthur could practically feel the knight blushing. "I believe it was, 'the Running Wench,' my Lord."

Arthur grimaced, thankful that the knight couldn't see his face in the dark. Though he had never frequented that particular tavern himself, he knew what kind of 'tavern' it was, and what it catered for.

"Do you mean to say that the Prince was drunk?"

"My Lord, please…"

Arthur glanced at the knight; younger than average, and short for his age with close cropped dark hair and wide green eyes. Very young; eager to impress, terrified to disappoint.

He nodded, "My apologies," he said, realising the uncomfortable position he was putting him in.

When the sound of clanging and ringing swords reached his ears, he sped up. Then he saw the source of the commotion at once; a large circle of men, enclosing the two with the swords; Prince Cador he recognised. The other man, he didn't. Regardless, he ran forward and tried to fight his way through the crowd of drunken men watching the conflict.

"Cador!" he shouted.

Both the Prince and his opponent turned at his voice. He saw comprehension dawn on Cador's face as he recognised him. He thrust the sword into the ground and rounded on Arthur.

"My Lord," he drawled. "Enjoying the spectacle are we? Well I'm sorry it's nearly over- AH!"

His opponent had rushed forward and before anyone could act, Cador was on the floor, rolling in the dirt and clutching at his shoulder.

"Guards!" Arthur yelled. Five men, all of Camelot, restrained the offender in a matter of seconds. He didn't fight against their grip.

Arthur dropped to his knees at Cador's side. The Prince was groaning and Arthur saw blood seeping from the wound and through his fingers.

_This cannot be happening_, he thought numbly. In spite of all of Cador's tantalizing, his eagerness for a fight, his visit had been going so well. He stood.

"On his knees," he commanded the guards. With a grunt, the stranger was forced into the mud. He bowed his head so Arthur couldn't see his face. Impatiently, Arthur grabbed a handful of dark hair and yanked the stranger's head back, so the guards' torch cast its light over his face.

Arthur froze. His eyes widened and he shook his head as he struggled to deny what his eyes were telling him.

"No," he gasped. It was all he managed to say.

He wasn't sure how long he was staring at Merlin for. At some point, the boy had the grace to meet his eyes. They were wide, with fear Arthur realised. Fear for what his King was going to do.

Arthur simply couldn't speak.

"Arrest him you fool!" Behind him, Cador had struggled to his feet. He was still clutching his arm. "Arrest him!" he Prince screamed.

Arthur turned back to Merlin. Then he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. It would not help anyone, let alone Merlin, if he lost control of his temper now. He opened his eyes.

"You heard the Prince," he vaguely heard himself say. Then he knew there was a flurry of movement, followed by several cries of pain from his manservant. Then he was being dragged away. Prince Cador had sunk, rather theatrically to the ground and was clutching his arm again.

"Fetch Gaius and a stretcher for the Prince," he said to the remaining guards. Without even glancing at Cador, he began to march back towards the palace, his mind working furiously, desperately thinking of a way that he could possibly save his manservant.

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**Thank you so much for reading! Please review :) xxx**


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